You just read the title and got interested but I should warn you that this is not about any discussion about the necessity of fake tan or an attempt to understand the use of botox in modern society or even a trial destined to judge those who make a statement by wearing too tight clothes... Sorry to disappoint you but enough sources are debating over these already and I am not interested.
I just had a quite animated interaction with my boyfriend who just decided to go to bed after exposing his point of view and therefore let me alone to expose mine to you. Beware! I am in a quite fierce mood...
It all started when I said the following: "I believe Simon Cowell is responsible for the most despicable result of modern society. In my view he is one of the peace criminals of our time."
Quite a bold statement. Yes, I agree. Exagerated? Maybe... Unfounded? I DON'T THINK SO!
Let me explain what I didn't get a chance to do earlier to my tired boyfriend/Simon Cowell's defense - grrrrr - who fled away before even hearing my argument!
I should remind you first that I haven't got a tv. I haven't had one in 9 years. Call me weirdo if you want, although I assure you I am a person who feels perfectly comfortable in society and who is able to handle conversations even when they relate to what is on tv. I am aware of what is going on and read about new programmes or more consensual ones. I do read about what is on and occasionally watch programmes either at my friends' or on the BBC iplayer or Channel4 4oD. YouTube clips I receive in my email or Facebook and MySpace accounts get the attention they require depending on how they have been introduced to me or the amount of time I have when I do receive them... You get it: I don't watch tv but still I live on this planet and get informed.
Am I watching Simon Cowell's shows? No. Have I ever watched any of it? Yes. Do I know what they are about? The f*ck I know! How do I feel whenever I get across these and get the experience? Really bad. Really ashamed of having done so. Do I enjoy a little bit what I am seeing? A little bit. Just this little bit that makes me ashamed. Ashamed why? Because there is always something quite enjoyable to watch someone who is going to show me that the most embarrassing moment (I should go plural here, yeah I know, thanks!) is never ever going to compare to what I am watching. It is comforting to see worse or much worse than yourself. It makes you feel better. Better than them. But not for long.
My point?! Time to get there! Here you go! How despicable is it to offer the worse to the People! How wrong and how disgusting is it to entertain you and me and the others with a very clear example of failure and lack of any talent. How easy easy easy is it to offer to the crowd what is stamped with "WON'T MAKE IT, NO F*CKING WAY". How easy is it to immediately recognise anything that is not worthy to be appearing in front of an audience, not to say an audience maximised by the magic of tv? Hey, I don't work in a record company but you probably don't either. Though how easy is it to see that these teenage girls twirling hoola hoops while they are attempting to sing whatever they were singing are no good and will probably never get to the level that is required for them to ever earn enough to live from their performance? You don't need to be in that business to tell. Yet someone has to tell them. And yes they need to know before they leave school to start "a" career. Here starts the argument as I saw it.
My boyfriend says that Simon Cowell is the good one in all this because he is the one and only who ever tells people they should forget about it. My boyfriend feels that Simon C. is the only person who acts in the benefit of these who should be told about that they stand no chance. He sees Simon as some hero out of a board of senseless people who lack the guts to tell it how it is. According to him Simon is some kind of saint who not only is able to distinguish from the talented and the untalented but also has the nerve to explain it clearly to those who should start focusing on something else than showbusiness. My boyfriend believes sincerely that Simon Cowell is someone who inspires the best in this country and makes sure that the best are taken in the fast lane and those who do not meet with the pre-requisites are told so in the clearest way and get sent back to whatever else they should get focused on.
Bullshit! You know what: yes I believe in competition and yes I am into recognition of the best according to pre-estated rules. Let me carry one: yes I believe in entertainment that shows assertiveness and is quite fierce in its promoting potential and turning it into assets. Yes, in a way I believe that the programmes of Simon Cowell do provide entertainment and show assertiveness and also turn potential into assets. But for what price? Talk about collateral damage... And then talk about society damage!
Let me explain and also let me just tell you about how you make a show... Yes, for those who would't know whatever you see is the result of a lot of work produced by a lot of people. I am sure you know that but let's look into it.
Season starts and all of the country is looking for a new star. (So far I got nothing to say - thought it was worth letting you know). Simon Cowell's company has been working for a long time already and they were looking for the best. Yeah right. Might be... But hey, come on, you know it too, they have been looking for the worse too. And the worse is out there, no question. There is a lot of worse compared to the best (what a surprise!). What is great with the worse is that you can identify it immediately. We are talking super bad here. It is very very easy to identify. and you all know about it when you see it on screen, or not?! Well it is really unless you are performing it. How funny is it to see the worst performer give you a super confident speeech before the performance that you have already identy as one of the lamest? Priceless! You haven't seen it but you know already. Alright we get a glimpse and together with the speeech, decor, costumes and explanation of the number you got enough already to make your own idea. Ahhhhh. You and me feel amazed that they are still going to go for it. Here they go. They are on stage and not only are they on stage but they are already seeing themselves living right next to Mariah Carey, just witH a bigger house... They still haven't started but we know: they'd better haven't left their jobs yet because it is going to be a carnage. This is the time to turn off the tv because we know what is happening next. No chance they will make a buck with THAT. This is the moment I want to leave and go back home to my flat deprived of tv. I feel punched in my stomach... But I stay. I want to see see the slaughter. As if I had been in Rome many centuries ago. I t hurts and I know what is going to happen but "they" created this need for me to stay and see the slaughter. And the slaughter happens. Whatever the others sitting a the same judging desk do it is all about SC. SC only matters. SC shows his fist and the contestants are heading to the crocodiles! Oh no wait! This is modern civilisation! Crocodiles: sure fact, you are going there (new mortgage or not new morgage) but you won't get there that easily, haha! Modern civilisation brought us microphone which equal to crocodile sentence with a twist. Yeah now you get ridicule on top. Public ridicule with chosen words by Simon Cowell. Do you remember what bullied at school was? Well that was just to get you used to the idea that being humiliated in life was so far bearable and quite discreet. Do you know what it is to be bullied when you are out of school and in fron t of all your relatives, acquaintances and also anyone you don't know? Well, now you know!
I wonder what these girls who were twirling their hoola hoops and singing while beeing sure they were the next Spice Girls are doing now. And actually aI am quite worried about them. I am also worried about anyone else who feels they have somethig grand to make it and actually have no chance but will focus on nothing else before they get publicly humiliated by Simon the 1st.
Yes Simon is guilty. He has teams of people circling the country looking - all right for a few potentially talented people probably but still - making sure weird strange and let's say it bad performing acts are selected and invited for the recorded shows. They make bread and butter out of the ones that are surely going to get thrown out in no nice way. And it makes me sick to imagine these execs of the super boss organising local contests and rejoicing everytime they fing a perl - understand here a perfect rebute for the boss. They know as well as I do and YOU do that what they see is bad. The bad is definitely selected. And you can be sure that they are going for the bad bad bad. And they know it straight away, come on. Still they give the bad bad bad an appointment. Imagine how many apppointments the bad bad bad get before they appear in front of Simon Cowell... I'd guess about 3 min and it is probably 5 or more... No wonder the bad bad bad think they got IT! No wonder they look so proud and self assured! It is all engineered for our entertainment. They're shit but they thik they're gold: what a superb entertainment when Simon tells them the truth! How much satisfaction do I get to see Mr. Weirdo dismissed. He looks so worse than me. Ahhhhh I am not that bad: Mr. Weirdo is! Comforting, oh yes! Disgusting? Arrrg, vomit!
And what about Mr. Weirdo? He has been called 5 times. He has been performing in front of SC employees and they supported him. He might have made plans, maybe even sold his place so he could start his new career.... What happens to these contestants who have been led to believe they were close to make it? We will probably never know. It would probably not be so good for the attendance of the new auditions. It is better to make sure that ANYONE believes in their capacity to make to make it until after Simon Cowell...
Tv has been using competitions forever. anything in our society is about competition. I don't mind it. I am quite happy to watch contestants with a potential fighting for a number one position. I am really embarrassed though to have to watch people who in normal life would have been turned away by the bottom of the pyramid to have to go through the process of building hope and then get ridiculed in the biggest amount of audience they could have ever dreamed of to celebrate their success. I blame Simon Cowell when he seems to look good by giving a final sentence to someone who won't make it for sure in front of millions while this person had all their dreams magnified by the recruiters of the show who from the forst second knew they had no talent whatsoever. I blame Simon Cowell to air a show that gives hope to those who shouldn't and fluffes the hopes of those who are goign to be the best to be dismissed publicly. I blame Simon Cowell for making his money out of the hope of life change from thise who have nothing else to expect anymore. I blame him to make the most outrageous public dismissals that any of us could make (without orange skin and awful fashion mistakes). Simon Cowell is guilty of bringing reality tv to a new low: the "I know it is low but let's tell no one, let's me look like I am the best out of the judges I selected myself and probably provide what to say and let me make my money ovefr those who can believe they could make it because I give them all material to think so.
Simon Cowell, you are guilty of making this world worse than it is. And God knows that was a real challenge!
If you wonder about it: no, my boyfriend is not getting crumpets!
